Kissed By An Angel
by OfficiallyNonOfficial
Summary: You never know what you have until it's gone." Buffy finally learns the true meaning of the saying.
1. Momma's Spaghetti Sauce

_Faith took in a really deep breath and set her hand on the door. Just behind that door was Buffy. She could hear her crying, she could smell her tears. She would never admit this out loud, but it hurt her to see Buffy so down and destroyed._

_Maybe she shouldn't have spoken her mind inside the house, but she had felt the need to point out to Buffy that it could be dangerous to go out like that, for the potentials, for her._

_Finally, she worked up the courage to open the door. Her heart broke at the sight. Buffy was lying on a strangers' bed in the fetal position facing the wall. Her petite body shook with her sobs, and little whimpers made themselves heard._

_She was never one for comforting, she had never been comforted, and so she knew not how to do so. But her body told her to hold the blonde, and her heart backed up that idea. _

"_B?" Her own voice surprised her, she sounded very husky. She shook her head and entered the bedroom, closing the door and locking it behind her. Not that it would do much good to lock the door, she'd seen vampires run into houses without so much as a second thought. Sunny Dale was theirs now. "Jesus B, any vamp could just come in here and kill you in your sleep." Buffy's shoulder's shrugged tensely. "I'm sorry about that crap back there, I shouldn't have said anything. I just… I just didn't want you to get hurt." She admitted, a little quietly, shy. Still Buffy said nothing. "B, would you just… I'm sorry."_

_Now Faith felt awkward, standing there in the dark, boring a hole in the floor and wriggling her hands in obvious discomfort. She was beginning to rethink coming in here, maybe she should just leave, obviously Buffy wasn't all that cheery about having her in there. "I guess I should go." She said, turning around and making her way to the door._

"_I'm sorry too."_

_Faith looked over her shoulder, Buffy was still facing away from her, but there was no doubt she had spoken. Over to her left there was a couch, she glanced at it momentarily, but decided to stand beside the bed instead. _

"_Sorry about what B? The last time I checked, you didn't kill anybody."_

"_It was an accident. I knew that then, I was just, I don't know, scared. But I should have listened to you then." Buffy's voice was hoarse and she sounded as if it hurt to speak. "And I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you now." she sniffled, "you don't deserve it, off all people, you're the last one that deserves being treated like shit. I'm sorry."_

_Faith couldn't bring herself to answer. After all these years, she was finally hearing was she had longed for. She dreamt of this day, when Buffy would admit her mistakes. She had thought it would be great to laugh and throw it in her face, much the way she had thrown her apology in her face._

_Instead she found herself trying hard to fight of tears in the corners of her eyes. "It's okay."_

"_No, it's not. How can you say that?"_

"_Because I want it to be okay." Faith sighed, this is not what she had in mind. "I guess I should be leaving then." _

"_Faith?" Buffy called her, craning her neck to look over her shoulder._

"_Hmm?"_

"_Stay?" Buffy asked, sounding tired, depressed, but a little hopeful._

_Faith looked at the couch, not exactly the best place to sleep after having a slayer sized whopping handed out to her. "Sure, me and the couch, we're old pals."_

"_Not on the couch," Buffy offered a watery chuckle, a small smile in her eyes, "I meant, with me." She scooted over on the bed._

_Faith had a heart attack at that moment, did her eyes and ears deceive her, or did Buffy really just ask her to sleep in the same bed with her? "Ummm…."_

_Buffy's face fell, "Too weird to sleep with the girl that stabbed you huh?"_

"_No! No." Faith chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "Scoot over partner." She slipped into the bed, laying beside Buffy, her hands resting on her stomach. She was stiff as a board, lying there next to the blonde. She had to keep reminding herself that this was a comfort thing, not a touch Buffy thing._

_Eventually she managed to calm herself down enough to rest her left hand behind her neck. 'This isn't so bad.' _

"_Faith?"_

"_Hmm?" Faith tried not gasp as she felt Buffy's face bury into the side of her neck, and her arm go around her stomach and pull her close. Out of pure instinct, she wrapped her own arm around Buffy in a hug and pulled her closer._

"_Is this okay?" Buffy asked, nuzzling the brunette's neck. Faith smelled like cinnamon, spicy and sweet. She always thought the brunette had a distinct scent to her that made her presence known. She felt Faith's chest rise and fall beneath her, and she could help resting her head on her chest in order to listen to her heart. The beating was strong and steady, she now had her own nickname for Faith, Lion Heart. She smiled at herself._

"_It's more than okay." She heard Faith's breathy whisper._

_----------------------------------_

"What do we do now Buffy?"

"Yeah Buffy, what do we do?" Dawn asked her elder sister, peering into the Sunny Dale sized crater that lay before them. Her home, her school, her friends, everything she ever knew, real or fake, was gone. Was she supposed to feel upset or even slightly distraught? She sure as hell didn't. All she could think was that the hell mouth was gone, her sister was no the slayer anymore, they could live a plain, normal, boring life now! Of course she didn't relay all this to her sister, she was looking a little worse for wear now that the dust had settled around them.

"I don't know." The blonde slayer whispered, in truth, she was very overwhelmed with all of this, she was expecting to close the hell mouth, go home, and sleep for a thousand years, but instead she was now one amongst the many homeless survivors standing on a desert road with open roads ahead of them. It was good, it was bad, it was scary. "First of all we need to get all the injured to a hospital, get them checked out. Then we need to find a place to stay in for a while, two three days, to heal and rest."

"One thing is certain, we need to disappear from here, the government will be all over this place in a few hours." Kennedy joined Giles, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Buffy, and Faith at the foot of the hell mouth crater. "Something this big won't go unnoticed, it's not everyday a town implodes."

All of the original scoobies nodded their heads in agreement, everyone except Faith. The brunette was still staring into the crater with half lidded eyes.

Kennedy noticed the glazed over look in the brunette's usually vibrant eyes, no one else seemed to though, and although she kind of hated Faith for being so pushy when she was leader, for all of two days that was so, she was concerned. Maybe no one else saw it in the heat of the battle, but she saw her get ambushed by at least eight uber vamps down in the school basement. She came up looking alright, but now she livid, tinged a pale, grayish color.

The no longer potential slayer moved towards her, ready to say something, but Faith glanced up, looking ready to stop her, no matter what it took. It was if she could read her mind or something, she shook her head, ever so subtly, and Kennedy backed away, deciding to do something about her later.

So it was back to figuring out what to do.

"We need to leave." Giles announced, "Robin does not look well at all. And there other girls in serious conditions."

"Where do you suggest we go?" Willow asked, finally seeming to have gotten over the fact that her home was no more. "Any place with a good hospital is pretty far away. Plus," the wicca shrugs, "a bus full of injured, bleeding girls and three battered men, kind of circus grade attention."

"Not to mention the fugitive." Xander adds as an after thought, glancing slyly at Faith.

Faith lowers her head with a tiny, almost inaudible sigh, digging shaky hands into her pockets. She knew someone would eventually mention her, she was just hopping it wasn't when she was feeling like keeling over and dying.

Xander's mention of Faith seemed to stop everyone, one by one they turned to look at her, and the brunette did her best to hide her blush. Or was she just flushed?

Buffy had almost forgotten about Faith, the brunette had made herself scarce after the fall, she was probably trying to find the right moment to sneak away while no one was looking, it would be so like her to do that. She approached Faith cautiously. During the whole deal with The First, she had no choice but to associate with her, and she had let her guard down at the time, surely Faith couldn't do anything worse to her than The First had, so she let her guard down. But now, now there was no First, no reason to play nice with the woman who had ruined her life.

"Faith?" The brunette continued to stare down at her feet, showing no signs that she knew Buffy was even speaking to her. "Faith?" She asked a little more forcefully.

"What?" Faith finally looked at her. Buffy heard herself inhaling sharply, she did not look good. But her eyes were cold and distant, the blonde slayer made the assumption that she was just being a hardass like always.

"What?" Buffy snapped, "I'm talking to you, the least you can do is pay attention."

"For what? I don't care what the hell you do, I don't care what the hell you do with me, a'ight?"

Buffy's eyes hardened, yeah right, like Faith would ever change, it wasn't in her to something like that. Faith was a cold hearted, mindless, numb bitch who couldn't care less.

"No, you wouldn't care, would you?"

"What the fuck do you want Buffy?"

"So how did you manage to convince Angel you changed? Did you come out with the crocodile tears and the sad daddy issues bullshit? Cause I have to tell you, Angel's a sucker for a good sob story." So she was pushing her, it wasn't like she wouldn't push back, after all, it was Faith.

"It was easy, maybe I'll teach you how to have a heart sometime." Faith bit back, she knew she shouldn't, knew she was taking the bait, and she knew she was in no position to fight the other slayer. But that's how it is, when someone she's cared for for so long hits at her, she can't help but to lash out.

"You have a heart?! Please, the only feelings you have are in your fucking-" Buffy's head snapped back with the force of the blow. She staggered back, but she caught Faith's shirt before falling, and she dragged the brunette down with her.

Buffy was pissed off, frustrated, and hurting. She rolled herself over Faith, not caring that she didn't even bother to move, and reeled back her fist as far as it would go, then releasing it upon the brunette slayer's face.

It felt right to have her fist crashing on Faith, felt good to be the one handing out the beating and the hurting this time around. God, it felt fucking great! Like ecstasy.

"Hey, Buffy, get off of her!" Kennedy rushed up behind the blonde, wrapping her arms around her waist and dragging her off harshly, throwing her aside. "Would you two get a grip?! Haven't you fought long enough? This is fucking ridiculous! Just let it go." She glared at Buffy, who was pouting on the ground, not meeting her eyes.

"I already did." Faith rasped, using the bus' bumper to help her stand. "I stopped caring a long time ago Special K. Good luck." She turned on her heel and started off of the road into the desert.

"Faith? Where the hell are you going? You can't walk, you're hurt." Kennedy tried to go after her, but Willow's hand on her elbow stopped her.

"She's not worth it baby." Willow knew Kennedy always liked Faith, the two girls had a lot of common ground between them, they could have been best friends.

"But Willow-"

"Just let it go." Buffy whispered from the ground, glaring after the brunette slowing fading out of sight. "You hear that Faith?! You better leave while you can, the council and the police will be coming after you soon enough!" Buffy hated herself then, she sounded like a sore bitch, she was bitter, but she really couldn't put her finger on the why.

Faith had a way of making her crazy.

And Faith had a way of making her miss her the second she was gone. She could feel her sister slayer fading through their connection, in a few minutes it would be as Faith was dead to her…. Maybe that was good.

But she didn't want that.

***^^****^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^^*

"Buffy Summers this, Buffy Summers that. Buffy! Buffy ! Buffy! Ugh!" Faith grunted in disgust, plating her arms on the back of a bench and vaulting over it. She looked back over her shoulders and put forth another burst of speed into her sprint. "This is all her fucking fault!" She screamed into the frosty night air, ignoring the strange looks being shot her way she raced from bridge to bridge, leaping canals and boats and anything or anyone that got in the way between her and her freedom.

The brunette slayer came across anther bend and decided to try her luck on the streets before resorting to jumping into the canal and swimming her ass out of there.

"You're gonna have to be faster than that if you want to keep up boys!" She laughed, using the ledge of the railing to launch off of. The stunt sent her sailing through the air in a running man position, 'Wicked!' Faith thought, tucking her knees and head in in order to roll away upon impact.

Of course when her mastermind plan was being thought out, all of two seconds it took her, she wasn't planning on the guns.

A rain of bullets befell her as she impacted with the ground. The noise and bright lights, both from the brightly decorated city and the guns being shot, threw her off balance. Her ankle wavered, shooting pain like electricity running up and down the entire length of her leg.

Her luck was gone to hell now, she had no choice but to keep to the canals and boats, she wouldn't get far, but it would keep a few meters in front of her pursuers.

"You think you can get away again?! The third time is a charm, don't you know?" Someone behind her shouted in a heavy accent, his laughter followed by another spray of silver caps falling around her.

'Since when do they have watcher in Venice?' "But you have to catch me first buddy boy." She panted, her leg was hurting something fierce, her lungs felt like she'd drenched them in gas and set fire to them. Sure, being a slayer made evading captivity more efficient, but there were only so many miles a girl could run before seeing triple from lack of oxygen.

"Mr. Travers has some very interesting plans for you, bitch." Another round of bullets, "I can't wait to see the watcher's council put you down like the dog you are."

"That's not what your girlfriend thought last night. Cute dog by the way, I always wanted a St. Bernard. Get out of the way!" She howled at two women in the middle of her path, they didn't seem to understand her, they didn't even look her way. "Ladies, excuse the fuck out of me!" Still nothing.

Faith growled deeply in her throat, she was already on the bridge, the council men were on her ass, those bitched weren't moving. Oh well, she was going to have to barrel into them like a football player and knock them out of the way.

A cold smile crossed her lips, and steadied herself for the impact. She was less then ten feet from smashing into them.

Finally one of the women turned and looked at her, her expression unreadable. Faith narrowed her eyes at the green eyed woman, something about the way she continued to stare threw her off.

"Now!" She heard the men from behind her shout.

"Oh, fuck!" Faith's eyes widened as she spotted the woman's hands, which had been concealed, withdrawing a gun from underneath her shirt.

The slayer was trapped on the bridge, this was it, this was a dead end, either way she went, she was getting pumped full of lead, and if she let them capture her, there was no way she could fight them off any more, she was ready to collapse. Maybe if she played dead?

"Fuck Lehane, come on, think." She urged herself, looking around in all directions, maybe someone would call the police. But it was dark, she was surprised the council's people could see her in the inky blackness.

"I told you you wouldn't get away, Faith. Give it up, make my job easier, my momma wants me home for her famous spaghetti sauce, I would hate to miss it. You have already lost."

Wasn't that the truth? She was fucked and she knew it, they knew it. The council men reminded her of hyenas circling their prey, with an evil gleam in their eyes and their mocking laughter sending chills down her back. Her body was chock full of adrenaline, her mind was racing.

The thing about being a slayer, being still was not something she did well. She finally sighed, relaxing her body, and she caught the leaders' eyes. He smiled crookedly at her, lowering his aim to her heart.

"See, you're smart. You know, I will get paid if you're dead or alive, but I wouldn't mind having a go at taming the beast."

"Don't sell me short, you haven't captured me yet."

"Oh? Haven't I?"

"No, you haven't." Faith smirked at him. It was like the Quick and The Dead, both of them just waiting for that little clock to run out of time, waiting for the move. 'Now or never, girl, lets see what you got.'

"Fire!"

Faith turned on her heel, planting her hand on the ledge of the bridge, and hoisted her lower body over the obstacle. To her everything seemed to go by in slow motion. The sound of the bullets flying around her like she was in Vietnam, the sharp tearing she felt in her side, the steady throbbing of her left leg, her racing heart, and the torturously slow fall into the dark blotchy water below. The slayer could only hope that the water was deep enough not to kill her when she landed.

And to think all this was happening because she couldn't keep her mouth shut.

The council men ran to the side of the bridge, peering over the edge. A loud splash resounded through their ears and they commenced firing at the water in hopes of still capturing the rogue slayer.

"Stop!" The woman with the green eyes and dark blonde hair shook her head in disappointment. "You fucking imbeciles, you let her get away from us, we had her!"

"She was right in front of you, Marcela, you could have caught her." The man who had shoot the slayer back away after he spoke, the last thing he needed was to piss off his boss.

"Did I ask you to speak to me Toni?" She asked in a cold voice that made Toni wonder if a kiss from the beautiful woman would freeze his lungs.

"No ma'am, forgive me. I will get the men ready and send the-"

"No. You've done enough, I will handle this myself. As the Americans say," She smiled at her reflection in the water, "if you want something done right, do it yourself. You are free to go Toni, I wouldn't want you to miss dinner with your mamma."

-------------------------

'If life was like water, everything would be a steady flow… too bad.'

A tall brunette, seated on the edge of one of Venice's many bridges, thought to herself. The icy night wind blew her long bangs around her face, partly hiding her view of the ever so slightly freezing river.

Freezing temperature for Venice was a sight hardly ever seen, it was rare, but then again, she had only been in Venice for three years, she couldn't be sure. The night was calm and cool and it drove her to her current position. It was the perfect excuse to get out of her dorm without making a commotion with her roommate.

Her roommate, Theresa, was highly suspicious of her now a day, and really, she couldn't blame her. How was she supposed to explain to her that she could lift four ton trucks without breaking a sweat and run a mile in three minutes, maybe less? Hell, she couldn't believe it herself at first, but she was having time to think about it, it had only been four weeks since whatever changed her had happened.

"You're looking very lonely out here, Ali."

That voice grated on her nerves and made her want to cry at the same time. "What are you doing here?" She asked, no venom in her voice, to her surprise.

"Hey, we can still be friends right? No need to lose everything that's important."

"Tracey, get on with it." She just can't see the glass half full, it's been half empty the entire time. She doesn't possess her ex girlfriend's gull, she can't just sit next to her and pretend that everything is okay. "Why did you wait so long to tell me?" She asks, kicking her feet around, hating the fact that Tracey's hand is now settled on her back. She still has a soft touch, but her hands are freezing.

"Ali-"

"No. The least you can do is give me a straight answer." She demands, the hurt in her voice painfully obvious.

Tracey sighs sadly, hopping up on the ledge and sitting beside her. "Three months."

"Three months?" Ali wants to slap her, maybe push her into the canal and drown her and then drown herself. "That would be-"

"A year after the engagement." Tracey answers for her, hating the dull look in Ali's usually sparkling cerulean eyes.

"I see… and you couldn't have told me? I had to find out the way I did? Getting pregnant with some random guy wasn't bad enough?"

"He wasn't random, I've known him since grade school. And it was an accident Ali, where's your compassion?"

"Three hundred and fifty five thousand dollars and forty bottles of vodka down the drain. Thanks." Ali doesn't mean to be bitter, but what else is she supposed to be? "There's compassionate, and there's stupid. Take your pick cause they're both the same to me. One just sounds nicer."

Tracey is at a loss for words, she's never seen Ali act like this. It hurts to think that it was her fault. "I'm sorry Ali."

"Yeah? Me too." The brunette bows her head, deciding to ignore Tracey.

Tracey knows she won't get anything more out of Ali. Throwing her legs over the edge, she hops back up, brushing off her jeans. "I came to check on you, our friends are worried, and I also came to invite you to the baby shower, I want you to be there." She leans down and kisses her cheek, "I really am I sorry." She whispers before leaving the bridge.

Ali turns and watches her go, feeling like someone is wrenching a hot iron in her heart. "I'm sorry too." Tracey doesn't hear her. "Figures." The brunette snorts, returning her attention to the steadily freezing water.

She wonders, if she fell and she cried for help, would Tracey run back and save her, would anyone care if she died tonight? She wasn't sure she would care if she died, maybe it would be for the best.

No, she didn't want to die because she got dumped, eventually she would move on. She wanted to die because before Tracey was her fiance, she was her best friend, the one person she could count on for everything, rain or shine, hot or cold, Tracey was there for her. She lost too much when Tracey betrayed her like that.

Why did she feel she couldn't tell her? Eventually her stomach would have started bulging, or she would have complained during sex, or something. Morning sickness, wanting strange things, the mood swings, she would have found out, why couldn't she tell her? She would have welcomed the baby with open arms, would have taken care of it and Tracey.

She went about it all wrong, instead she took her engagement ring off and set it on the table, broke up with her and said they couldn't be together anymore.

It would have been less painful if she had just shot her in the back of the head.

"Fire!"

Ali jumped back, startled, and hide behind the bridge, gunshots were being fired carelessly, she would have been swiss cheese if she hadn't moved in time. What the hell was going on? Crawling on her hands and knees, she made off of the bridge and she scooted behind the levy, glancing at the water beside her. She was pretty sure she heard a splash.

"Great, just great." She mumbled heatedly, pissed off to a point of no return. In her three years of living in Italy, not once had she come across the mafia or mobsters or anything of the sort. It was just her luck that she would now, when her life was going to hell. "Oh fuck!" She squeaked as she caught sight of a body floating in the canal. So it was the mafia. Her first instinct was to get the hell out of there, she didn't need any more problems than she already had.

As she was turning to leave however, she heard the floating body groan in pain and a feint whimper. It was a woman, that much was clear, and she was really really hurt, and fuck, she was still alive!

"I'm going to regret this." She told herself, taking a running dive and plunging into the water. When she hit, the breath was stolen from her lungs, it was so damn cold! Her heart started pounding in her ribcage, it felt she was being hit with a sledge hammer from the inside. Huge lungfulls of air were sucked into her body as she resurfaced, right beside the drifting woman.

"H-h-hey! Ma'am a-are you alright?" She shivered, draping her arms over the woman's shoulder and chest, back stroking to the side of the canal. The cold was getting to her, and the woman's dead weight in her arms was exhausting her already. "Damn it why do they make these things so huge?"

"F-for the boats to pass through." The woman in her arms replied. Okay, scratch that, she was no woman, barely one, like her.

"H-hey, a-are you okay?" She asked, clasping onto the edge of the canal, wincing as her side stretched out.

"Five by five."

"Okay? What's that?"

"It's all good."

"Oh." Ali smiled, amused. "Well listen five by five, we're gonna have to travel with the canals until we reach a spot where we can climb out. Think you can hack it?" She hoped she could, she didn't think she could, the water was taking its toll on her, she was shivering like a cold Chihuahua in December.

"You're a slayer?"

"A what?"

Faith was barely hanging on to sweet consciousness, she found it difficult to just pass out in a freezing canal in a foreign country, it wasn't her style. Come to think of it, neither was being saved by some brat, but she couldn't complain at the moment, she was saving her life.

"What's your name?" She asked instead, assessing herself in her mind. 'One broken rib, one broken pinky, and one nasty hole in my side, not bad Lehane. Oooooh, ouch, and one very sprained ankle.'

"Ali. Yours?"

Could she trust her? Didn't she just get almost wasted because she trusted the wrong person, again? "I'm Faith." What the hell, if she was going to kill her, it couldn't be that bad.


	2. A New Favorite Slayer

An: Okay so I just realized my mistake. The first chapter should have been like a oneshot or a prelude or something. Since I failed to mention that, this story will only be like a chapter or two, just to get you guys up to date on the situation. If it's worth a story, I'll be posting the follow up. Sorry about that.

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(A week earlier)

"You what?"

Buffy dropped her gaze to the floor, the shame was plastered on her face like a stain, and like such, it would be hard to remove. She fidgeted with her hands nervously, shifted from foot to foot as she failed to look up and meet accusing, cold eyes.

"I kind of… punchher." She rushed out, hoping that perhaps if she played stupid enough, everyone would just leave her alone.

"You punched her?" But of course, it was too much to ask wasn't it. "Kennedy said she looked sick when she left, something could have happened to her Buffy, did you stop to think about that?"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure she deserves it."

"You're worse than she ever was. How can you-"

"Look, Angel, Kennedy and Robin and even Giles already gave me the first degree, I don't need it from you too." The blonde slayer sighed. She hadn't even been in L.A. an hour and already she was regretting having rooted for making their rest stop with AI.

"You obviously do, Buffy." Angel sighed as well, so unnecessarily from his part. The broody vampire wore his usual attire of dark clothing, Buffy noticed with a pang, that although his attire hadn't changed, Angel certainly had.

In the past few years since the mayor's impending rule over the word had been stopped, she had rarely had time to stop and think about Angel, or anything else for that matter. It seemed that the mayor had set off a chain reaction, after him, the monsters got worse, they were more powerful and she lost more and more people along the way. If someone asked her, the mayor's death was a climax of some kind, it wasn't for the good, that was for sure.

If she thought about it, everything bad that had happened had started after Faith decided to hop the fence and be a team player for the other side. Angel also returned from hell during that time. Cordelia left, Oz left, Wesley left. But the worst of the two had to be Angel and Faith.

She could admit it now, she had missed Angel, her Angel. But the man pacing back in forth with a tormented look on his face was n ot the Angel she used to know. The same was true for him, she wasn't the Buffy he used to know.

Years and years of peril and adverting apocalypses, countless near death experiences , a knack for losing those she cared for dearly, and a second death had hardened Buffy. No longer was she the peppy little blonde with a thing for verbally sparing with vampires and a weakness for tall, dark, and handsome boys with colored eyes and Colgate smiles. She found no reason to find the glass half full, she a pessimist now.

And really, could anyone who had bee present through have of those things really blame her? Could they point the finger at her and talk because she was grumpy, or just a little cruller, just a tad more bitter, a little less human?

No. They couldn't.

They shouldn't. But that's what everyone was doing now. Pointing the finger at her. So she made a mistake, she knew that now, albeit a few hours too late, Faith could be in another country by now, but now she was a little less grumpy and a little less liable to kill someone, it dawned on her that she had deliberately pushed Faith away. No, she hadn't pushed her away, she practically hurled her away.

"Fuck," she pinched the bridge of her nose, falling back into one of the plush chairs in Angel's office with a defeated grunt, "I fucked up big time didn't I?"

Angel offered her a sympathetic smile as comfort, but no words, he wouldn't argue with her there, she had messed up big time, it was time people stop sugar coating things for Buffy and let the slayer handle things on her own.

He had been livid when he saw the last of the potentials and the scoobies enter his hotel with still no sign of Faith.

During their talk after the whole deal with Angelus, he had offered Faith a place to stay and a position in Angel Investigations. The brunette had accepted with gratitude and promised to return as soon as she was finished helping out in Sunny Dale. The LA gang had taken to Faith nicely, Gunn loved her, Fred adored her, and Conner practically worshipped the ground she walked on. Lorne thought she was the greatest thing since Karaoke, and although it took a little bit of convincing where Cordy was involved, she eventually warmed up the idea of having Faith around. And Wesley, well, enough said, she was a hit.

It took great amounts of self control for Angel not lash out at Buffy. The only thoughts running through his mind were that, once again, Buffy had managed to run Faith off, and once again, he had failed to prevent it.

"It's a little understandable that you wouldn't trust her Buffy, but she didn't have to go back to help you in Sunny dale, and she didn't have to break out of jail to help me. She was doing good in there, the judge was thinking about releasing her for good behavior, we ruined that for her, if she went back…" he trails off, leaving his ex girlfriend to conjure up her own endings.

"Ahhhh," Buffy groans into her hands, shaking her head, "I get it, I get it, okay? I have to find her, apologize, bring her back, I get it okay? Jeez, who knew Faith would become so popular around here? Is it something I did?" She jokes, trying to ease some of the tension in the room.

"No," Angel drops in his chair, leaning back and tapping a pan on a notepad in front of him. He runs the number over and over in his heads. The thing about owning Wolfram & Hart? He's got connections like a power plant. The second he found out Faith was missing, he called up one of the many demons that owe him a favor. A tracker. He handed the demon one of Faith's shirts, and offered a handsome prise if he brought back the brunette slayer alive and well. "No it's nothing you did. It's what she did."

Buffy's heart pounds painfully in her chest she's starting to feel much the way she did when everyone turned their backs on her in Sunny dale, the only bad thing is, this time they are correct, and this time there is no one there to comfort her…

Why can't she just put her cock away and admit the truth? That it was killing her not knowing how the brunette was doing in prison. That it hurt to see her so pale and hurt lying in her bed after that night they spent together? Why couldn't she just admit the truth? That the line between love and hate was so easy to cross, that she had crossed it the moment she laid eyes on Faith that night at the cemetery?

It had been like laying eyes on the girl for the first time all over again. She could see it then, the change in her eyes, everything about her. But it had been so easy to fall back on old habits.

"God, I'm so screwed up!" She slams her hands on her knees, biting her lip to keep it from quivering. She made her go away, she made Faith go away.

Again.

And this time chances were, she wouldn't be coming back.

-------------------------

"Fuck," Faith held clutched onto her stomach with a shaky hand, the other keeping her upright as she retched over and over again behind a tree until she felt she might choke if puked again. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and shuttered, steadying herself before making her way out of the park and onto the sidewalk downtown.

Buffy's words and actions rolled in her head over and over again as the sun set and the dark offered her a release from the scorching sun that had beamed down on her all day that had her fevered and dizzy. She couldn't bring herself to dwell too long on the blonde however, her walk through the desert had left her exhausted, ready to fall over and die. It was only a bout of good luck that landed her with a trucker driver about two hours ago, otherwise she would still be walking. No, she'd probably buzzard food right about now.

She hadn' done anything to provoke Buffy, at least, she didn't think she had. If she hadn't been feeling so shitty she might have stuck around just to piss her off, give her a reason to be such a bitch. It hadn't seemed like a good idea then. So she left. She had nothing to stay for, and that same old dance with Buffy was getting boring anyhow.

"Hey kid, wanna have a good time?"

Faith sighed as a thirty something year old man curb crawled after her in his kiwi green camero. He was hot enough, he seemed to have money, not everyone drove around in a perfectly conditioned oldies vehicle now a day. His voice was that of a distinguished man even.

But the nasty leer put off any hopes of having encountered a civilized, educated man, that, and the fact that the guy was curb crawling after at least fifteen years his junior and a nicely rolled blunt hung freely from his battered lips.

The brunette slayer couldn't even find the strength to insult or reject him properly. She kept her hands tucked into her torn jeans and her shoulders pulled forward, eyes cast on the sidewalk, weaving through crowds of young people out enjoying their Saturday night in San Diego.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" The man who had sounded like prince charming not even twenty seconds ago shouted, enraged. Once again, Faith ignored him, keeping her walk at a slow pace, she wouldn't pay him any mind, after all, what was the worst he could do? "Fuckin' bitch," he growled and pulled the car to a stop. "I'm gonna teach you a fucking listen." He threatened, shoving the door open.

Faith looked over her shoulder and saw the man coming her way. He was a tall guy, at least six feet, and he had the build of a football player. There was no doubt, that beefstick could put out a good hurting. Veering to the right, Faith entered the dank, smelly alleyway and headed down the middle of the path. Te guy was going to catch her if she didn't move it. But she didn't feel like running or making a scene.

"Hey, whore? Thought you'd get away?" The guy was less than a foot away from her, sneering at her in a way that made Faith's inside quiver in disgust.

"Look buddy, why don't you fuck off, I ain't no damn prostitute like your little girlfriends." She called over her shoulder, not stopping her walk.

"How would you know?"

"Shit," Faith jumped back startled as the guy popped in front of her from thin air. He grinned widely, from ear to ear, and Faith wanted to kick herself as his fangs glistened in the moonlight. She hadn't felt the vampire at all. It could have something to do with the fact that she had been feeling like she was walking around in a dream since the battle in the school basement this morning. It could have something to do with the sudden sickness that befell her. Did it matter? She was in a situation now, she had to get herself out of it.

"All my girlfriends are dead."

"And I don't plan on being one of them." Faith felt something inside her stir, and before she knew she lunged at the vampire and caught him by surprise. He fell backwards with an O on his mouth, his hands shielding his face. Using her knees, she dug them into his groin, the vampire howled in pain. Dead or undead, kick a guy in his man business and he'll be singing soprano.

The slayer grinned savagely, ignoring the tight pull in her stomach as the scent of blood reached her nose. Wow, she packed a good kick.

"Fuck! You ain't no Plain Jane, are you darling?" The vampire chuckled, then winced. "So what are you?"

Faith wrapped her hands snuggly around his neck, giving him a little squeeze for added effect. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"Well hell, I thought it was pretty obvious. I'm a vampire."

"Really? Where's the bumpy face?"

"Bumpy face? What are you smoking and where can I get it?" He laughs, he's obviously enjoying himself far too much. "I can't smell what the hell you are, so tell me yeah? Fair's fair."

Faith regards the vampire with a curious look for a few seconds. Vampires this hot without bumpy faces? And they drive around in Porches and shit? This is like a fucked up Candy land or something. A cold smile graces her lips, and it soon turns into a tight smirk.

The vampire beneath her had a sudden change of heart. His eyes widen in horror, the gleam in her eyes making him fear for his lack of life.

"What am I?" She asks, her voice sickly sweet. She grabs the back of the vampire's neck, pulls him up face to face. "I'm the slayer," she whispers, before yanking his neck aside and tearing into his throat.

The vampire shrieks in pain, struggling against her with everything he has, but soon enough his eyes dull, and he feels the bitter kiss of death all over again, this time, not to return.

Faith is latched onto his neck like a puppy on a chew toy, it feels too good to let go. But realization hits her with a sucker punch. She yanks her mouth away from his neck and reels back until her back slams into the concrete of a building behind her. Her breaths are two seconds shot of hyperventilation, and her heart an inch away from heart attack status. She can't tear her eyes away from the bloodied, mangled vampire's throat. She did that.

"Fuck," she whimpers, her voice cracking. The slayer gets to her feet faster than the speed of light and she rockets down the alley with no intentions to stop.

Running is a good thing. Running is therapeutic for her. When she runs, if she can go fast enough, long enough, it's like she can leave everything behind her. She becomes invincible, powerful, nothing can stop her. If she is fast enough, she can outrun her problems, she can be free.

Eventually after two minutes she stops in front of phone booth. Her thoughts are racing wildly through her mind, she's not even thinking as she dials the number and places the phone to her ear.

In the silence of the booth she can hear nothing but her racing heart, the pounding of her own blood in her ears, and her heavy, strangled pants.

And the voice that answers the phone on the other line.

'Hello? Hello?'

"I..I" Faith cannot bring the words forth, they keep choking in her throat. The receiver trembles violently in her shaky hands, she almost loses it twice. Tears spring to her eyes the way a tiger would spring on its prey, wild, savagely, viciously, and without mercy. She finds it hard to keep from sobbing into the phone.

'Faith?… Is that you?'

'Breathe. Take a deep breath,' Faith tells herself, sucking in oxygen like she never will again. That pain in her stomach returns with a vengeance, her body doubles over, she nearly screams. "Y-yeah… I-it's me."

'Faith, are you okay?' Concern?

"n-no." She can't take it anymore, she lets those tears fall, allows herself to sob. "no, I'm not okay." She runs her fingers through her hair, almost convulsing when she feels the wet stickiness on her scalp.

'Faith, calm down. You have to tell me what's wrong? Are you hurt?… Faith?'

"B… I'm a fucking vampire…" She waits for an answer, a response, a reaction. Nothing but silence greets her. A look of extreme pain crosses her features, she slams the phone down, her haste evident as she rips the fold out door clear from its hinges.

Calling Buffy, that has to be the stupidest move she will ever make.

-------------------------

(One week later)

Angel stalked about his office with a permanent frown settled upon his taunt facial features. The vampire with a soul was upset, wait, no, more than upset, he was livid, he was so pissed he was literally seeing red through his vision.

Of all the times Buffy could have proven him wrong, of all the ways she could have proven him wrong, this was the worst possible way at the worst possible time. What the hell had she been thinking, calling the council and informing them of Faith's reappearance? The brunette had broken out of jail to save him, in the process she had saved Buffy and the world, was his past lover really that much of a, of a… bitch? Was that the word, was it strong enough?

He couldn't believe he had just had yet another argument with Buffy about Faith. He had made it plain and simple, he would not be her friend and they would not talk until Faith was standing before him in this office.

He had been really blind back in the day in Sunny Dale, he believed her to be the epitome of all that was good, Buffy couldn't hurt a fly and she was always right, in his eyes.

But not being attached to someone at the hip gave people a new perspective to things, or specifically, to that person. He decision was biased when it came to hopping on Buffy train. He could see now, she really wasn't that great of a person. In fact, each time he saw the slayer she was more cranky, less polite, more willing to solve things with her fists, she was more 'punch now, ask questions later,' and it bothered him.

"Angel?" Wesley peeked his head around the door, his mouth a tight line on his ashy face.

"What is it?" Angel asked quietly, he was not in the mood for company, and he sure as hell wasn't in the mood for another argument over who got to drive the Mercedes Benz to the grocery market.

"The council has contacted Giles," Wesley drops his gaze to the floor, swallowing the lump in his throat and willing himself to speak, "everyone is in the lobby, I think you should be here for this."

"Faith?" Angel looks at him hopefully.

"I'm afraid so." Wesley sighs, he doesn't have it in his heart to give the vampire false hope.

Wesley was one of the first on the I hate Faith train, heck, the British watcher practically started it himself. He had no reason to ever think twice about Faith, she was evil, a murderous beast, end of story. But the brunette had shown him a different side a few weeks ago. She had no reason to break out of prison to help Angel, he had been expecting her to laugh in his face and walk away. But to his complete and utter shock, she not only broke out of jail to help, but she succeeded and almost lost her life in the process.

He had seen it in her eyes the second her glanced upon her, she wasn't the same scared, reckless girl who had gone into that place. She was calmer now, more willing to think things through, she did not resort to violence as a first defense, but rather as her last, and even the way she exuded herself had changed. She longer put herself out there and sold herself short, she carried herself with graceful balance and her head held high.

He has to be honest, he never felt prouder than when he saw Faith and Angel standing outside of the hotel on the balcony, smiling and laughing with each other, like good pals, as if nothing had happened.

But everything had happened, but he still believed that everything was for a reason. And in believing so, he figured it was not only his job as a watcher, but as a friend, to give Faith a second chance. He hadn't told her before she left, he had been thinking she would return after helping Buffy, and then he would pull her aside, sit her down and let her know, face to face, that not only did he forgive her, but that he wanted her forgiveness as well, and that he hoped to have a second chance too.

It seems now, that he will never get the chance.

Angel feels Wesley still following close behind him, he can smell that sorrow wafting through the air, coming off in waved from the watcher. This only further aggravates the vampire.

"Wesley," Angel stops the watcher outside of the lobby with a hand on his shoulder. His fellow colleague stops, a questioning look in his eyes. "Is it… is it bad?" He asks, trying to prepare himself for really bad news.

"I honestly do not know the answer to your question Angel," Wes shrugs, "but if it is the council calling with news of Faith, I doubt that it can be good for her, or us."

Sucking in an unnecessary breath, Angel steels himself, telling himself in a chanted mantra not to make eye contact with Buffy Summers. The blonde slayer will only set him off and nothing good can come of him losing his head in the middle of a room filled with Buffy worshipping slayers.

Pushing the door open, the vampire finds himself momentarily shocked, as does Wesly. Streamers on the walls and party music, he might have expected that, beers and cheers going around the room thanks to Faith's untimely demise, he would have coped with that. But Buffy wide and teary eyed sat against the wall with a sobbing Dawn, a pissed off Giles, a pale Xander, one red faced Willow and a very pissed looking Kennedy is the last thing he was expecting.

This could only mean good news for Faith and them, right?

"What's going on?" Angel asks, entering the lobby with an unwavering confidence. Nothing can knock him off of his high horse now.

"Faith," Kennedy answers, tearing her eyes away from Willow, who looks ready to get on her knees and beg.

"What about her? Is she okay? Does the council have custody of her?"

"Wesley, do shut up!" Giles snaps, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No. I'll have to ask that you shut up, Giles," Angel sets him with a cold stare, "you're on our turf now." Giles seems to regain his composure, nodding solemnly. "Now," he turns towards Buffy, "what is going on?"

"That was the council on the phone," Buffy sniffles, unable to meet the vampire's accusing glare, "they didn't capture Faith… they, they think they might have killed her."

Wesley feels the news hit him like a ton of bricks, they killed her? How could they? After she fought the battle against the first and helped Angel regain his soul, how could they just kill her like she was a waste of space.

"Angel," Buffy's pleading, gentle voice calls to the vampire. "I didn't mean to, I-I didn't want this. I'm sorry."

"You should be." Angel clears his throat. He's only cried once since he became a vampire, and it was the day Buffy sent him to hell, he will not give the blonde slayer the satisfaction of having made him cry again. "You killed her, again."

"I did nothing! How could I? She's all the way across the world, Angel!"

"A knife is not the only way to kill someone." Angel snaps, his duster flapping behind him as he goes through the door.

"Angel please-" Buffy flinches as the door slams shut behind the fuming, enraged vampire. All eyes fall on her, she can tell, just by the way the room remains in silence, that they all blame her.

They're right, it is her fault.

It always was. She made the first mistake the second she grabbed Finch and tossed him at Faith. She didn't feel anything from that deputy mayor, and her warning had been too late. Instead of helping Faith, like the friend she was supposed to be, she blamed it all on Faith. Sure, Faith went and tried to write the blame off on her, but it was understandable. In reality, she deserved way more than Faith ever dished out at her in the end.

How could she describe the way it felt when someone who had played such a big role in her life disappeared off of the face of the earth? And in such a brutal, inhumane way? How did she describe the feeling of knowing she is the reason why?

It was cold in the room now. Strangely cold. The way it felt when someone drinks a glass of cold water at night in the winter and walks into a room with a fan. It's a cold that starts from the inside, from the blood. It chills her soul, her bones, everything. Her insides are being stabbed with a dagger carved of ice.

And lonely. How does she go about living when she feels like someone ripped a piece of her right from her very core?

A lone tear works its way free from Buffy's eye, from the deepest part of her. 'No I have to make sure. I have to see it myself.'

"Buffy," Giles's fatherly voice calls out to her. The watcher sets a hand on his slayer's shoulder in a comforting manner. "are you alright?" He asks, his voice dripping with concern. He knows all too well that his slayer made a mistake, but if anyone is truly sorry for that mistake, it's Buffy herself, it is clear in the glazed over look in her eyes.

"No, Buffy, you were tired and hurt, you-"

"It's true Giles… she called me, a week ago, a few hours after we last saw her."

This time it was Giles' turn to sigh in disappointment. So Buffy was his slayer, and her loved her, but by bloody hell she could be so stupid sometimes! Why did she fail to mention this before? "And what did she say that made you call the watcher's council?"

"Now, Buffy."

"No, Buff-" Willow tried.

"No, I mean," she trails off, her voice sounding devoid of any life or emotion. "it's true what people say."

"Oh yeah," Kennedy crosses her arms over her chest, "and what would that be Buffy, cause there's plenty of things being said about you right now."

"Kennedy!" Willow shrieks in horror. While she understands that her girlfriend is hurting and upset, that gives her no right to be a bitch to Buffy, her best friend is hurting too.

"You never know what you have until it's gone…"

The room fell into a heavy silence that weighed down on the occupants, the blonde's words echoing in their minds. Who in that room couldn't testify to that?

"Amen." Xander said shakily after a long stretch of heavy, oppressive silence.

---------------------------------------

There's a thing about being caught in the middle between consciousness and unconsciousness. Everything is heard, everything is felt, every emotion is strong and pounding like a hammer. Everything is so vivid. Of course, there is a down side to being able to be trusted with someone deepest darkest secrets and desires… that someone doesn't expect to be heard or felt.

Faith was painfully aware of a second presence in the room besides her own, it had kept her company for endless hours now. She knew this because, although her eyes were shut tight, she could feel herself fighting against the rays of sunlight fluttering in through some window beside her. It was daytime, which meant she had been out for at least nine hours, it could have been more, way more.

She was afraid of that. What if she woke and found that she had been in a coma for another year? It would devastate her to no ends. And she wasn't even awake yet.

'This fucking sucks.' She thought. Maybe if she tried to talk?

"…uhh…" Okay, did moaning count as talking? She felt her companion move around the room, ease into the bed beside her. She couldn't sense any vampire mojo or demon mojo. Nope… just the unmistakable buzz that was all slayer.

A slayer?

"b-…Buffy?" She croaked, thinking maybe she somehow ended up with the blonde all over again, and really, that couldn't be good. Forcing herself, hurting herself, she managed to crack one of her eyes open. Her first reaction was to be disappointed when she found not Buffy sitting beside her. A second glance made her think of the phrase, 'a sight for sore eyes.'

"Wow," a gentle voice chuckled, amused, "you sleep in my bed, you'd think the last thing you could do was remember my name Casanova."

Faith found herself breaking out a grin. "Sorry," she swallowed, opening her eyes once again to glance upon the beauty she had woken to.

The girl looked like she came out of an Italian Victoria's Secret catalog. Her skin was fair and olive in color, her cheeks splashed a bit red. Chocolaty, silky hair rode down to her waist, her lips were thin and pouty, velvety, a creamy pinkish, light red in color. She definitely had a killer body, Faith found herself licking her lips. What caught her attention the most though, were her almond shaped, cerulean blue eyes contrasting against the black of her mascara and eyeliner. Taking in a deep breath, she catches not her scent, but the smell of her blood. She would moan if it wouldn't come of so creepy, the smell of citrus mingled in with the disturbingly sweet smell of her blood is orgasmic!

Did she die and go to heaven or what?

"Sorry," she repeated, shaking her head. 'Damn it Faith, don't gawk!' "Um, I'm Fa-"

"Faith. Yeah, you told me when you were playing the damsel in distress. I'm Ali. Welcome to Venice. I would advise against swimming in the canals, that water isn't painfully clean."

"So I'm told." Faith closes her eyes against the sunlight. She's suddenly become all just too aware of her body. It's sore as fuck! It feels like someone decided to use her as a wrecking ball for skyscrapers. "Thanks… you know, for saving me. And," as she shrugs, she feels her body feeling very tight, "for patching me up?" she guesses.

"Yeah, no problem. I couldn't very well leave such a beautiful lady to drown in the canal, what reputation would I give us Italians?" She asks in mock incredulity, a hand over her heart.

Faith shakes her head, finding herself smiling. "We wouldn't want that."

"Do you need anything, Faith? A glass of water, medication, some hot Italian strippers maybe?"

Faith cracks an eye open, "Oh, you think you could get all of the above?" She asks, laughter in her voice, despite her condition.

"I'm sure we can work something out." Ali gingerly plucks herself from the bed with a soft smile, "You just stay here and rest up okay? I'll be back."

"Yeah, thank you." Faith watches the girl disappear through, continues to watch long after she is gone. "Well I'll fucking be damned," she says in amazement, "I think I have a new favorite slayer."

-----------------------

AN: So yeah, to write follow up? Or not to write follow up? I kind of didn't give all the history on everyone in hopes that you will take the bait and vote for one. Remember, there's the new deal with Faith, with Faith and Ali, there's Buffy, and then there's the council and Toni and Marcela, can you really leave it at that?


End file.
